The shuttered Sahara would reopen with a renovated casino floor and 1,622 hotel rooms, but minus its signature roller coaster, under plans unveiled Wednesday.

The plans, presented to the Clark County Commission, end speculation that owners of the 59-year-old building were going to implode it and start from scratch.

Without comment, commissioners approved use permits to renovate the hotel’s interior, including the casino and 1,622 rooms in three towers. Plans also include demolition of the roller coaster running in and out of the hotel’s northwest corner.

The plans call for the addition of an outdoor dining area. Plans state that the property would include a 2,830-square-foot beer garden.

Stockbridge SBE Holdings LLC is listed as the applicant on the use permit. SBE Entertainment, a nightclub operator, and Stockbridge Real Estate Funds bought the property in 2007 for about $350 million.

The hotel-casino closed earlier this year, putting more than 1,000 employees out of work. Talk of renovations began to circulate a few months ago.

In September, owners announced the hiring of architecture firm Gensler Architects and the Las Vegas-based Penta Building Group to evaluate options for the site.

Gensler was one of the designers behind CityCenter. Penta has developed projects hotel and retail projects in Las Vegas.

Property owners could not be reached for comment.

SLS Las Vegas Hotel & CasinoSLS Las Vegas opened in August of 2014 in the same location as the old Sahara resort, which closed in 2011 after 59 years of operation.
The high-end resort project was announced in January 2012 by Los Angeles-based hotelier Sam Nazarian. Nazarian heads SBE Entertainment, a hospitality and entertainment empire with real estate, restaurants, clubs and hotels nationwide.